Give Your Best!

It had appeared that I found myself in what one may call "a pickle." My incredible, earth shattering strength barely fazed the thick, heavy fur of my opponent. Not only did he manage to withstand the brunt of my punches, but even the momentum of my rock throw was stifled by his immense strength.

In fact, Bernard was so powerful that he returned the rock with equal if not greater force than before. It was so fast that I couldn't even react to it fully. Despite my massive muscles and dominating strength, I was utterly powerless to prevent my injury. That actually pissed me off.

'C'mon now, Q. You can't let these weirdos get the best of you. Now it's time that I give my best!'

Despite the stinging of my wound, I hardly paid too much attention to it. Instead, I began hyping myself up to do what needed to be done. I started this encounter thinking I could beat their asses, so on behalf of Claire and the others, I gotta follow through. Shit. Speaking of Claire, which way did she take off towards again?

In this scuffle, I had gotten repositioned so many times that I had forgotten my starting position. That meant that Claire went off by herself without the assistance of her sword. The very same sword that I had taken from her in order to protect her. I suppose that might have been miscalculation on my part.

"Ya gonna try that again? Throwing rocks like a bawling weakling?! Schelelele!"

That laughter was annoying as it came. His smug face really bugged me, and the fact that he felt emboldened to taunt me irked me the most. The soft smack of my knuckles colliding triggered my ears, and I rushed in to press this bastard again.

Anticipating my rush, Bernard stood his ground, so when the first blow landed on his armor, the whole front caved in. A flurry of punches ensued, shattering the metal that was supposed to be protecting his torso. Despite the potential battering attacks, Bernard remained strong and laughed defiantly.

This big son of a bitch didn't bother blocking my attack and instead began to revel in the fact that his fur was practically inpenetrable.

"Ursa Major, Idiot! Their furs can withstand the swords of-"

As Charleston hyped up his meat-shield, they both failed to account for one thing; I didn't give a damn. If that fur will protect your face and stomach, then I doubt that it'll protect his scrotum as well. That oldest play in the book, and when all fails, you strike between your opponent's legs. It was my turn to laugh. As soon as I mustered my strength in my legs, I firmly punted Bernard right in his family jewels. With my strength it turned the once mighty, Ursa Major into a whimpering dog with the potency of any magical spell.

With his body shifting to accommodate the aggravated injury, I took the chance to kick him in his bent knee. It was a joint that I imagined would be less protected against blunt attacks, and to Charleston's surprise, I was correct. Bernard snapped over like a sagging accordion with surprise humbling his smug face. It was then that I went for the finish. If punching won't work, and I could not overpower the man with my projectiles, then I'll keep things simple.

Upon lowering his head just a little, I hopped up and caught the man's neck with my bicep. That was enough to pull the bastard down to his knees and from there I transitioned into a rear naked choke.

"Tell me this, Bambi. How long can an Ursa Major go without breathing?! Hehaha!"

My taunt flustered Charleston causing the beady eyed man to drop Claire's rapier. I could sense it. The doubt lingering in his eyes as I wrenched and choked his comrade to the ground. I will not question that he was incredibly strong, but the way I was constantly pulling his neck side to side, was wearing down on said strength. I could match him in terms of raw power, but my technique far exceeded his own.

"Hey now!- Go to sleep or I'll break your goddamn neck, you persistent bastard!", I growled as Bernard began bucking back and forward.

Due to his large stature, It was difficult to properly sync in the choke. Yet, it was clear to everyone present that it was undoubtedly working. I continued denying his attempt to transition and constricted his throat with my arm. I wrenched tightly around his neck and continued pulling him down to the ground. Pound for pound, Bernard was in another weight class. A weight class that is far beyond my own.

At the end of the day that thing only matters when the gap in strength is well defined. In this case as I continue my attempt to overpower Bernard, I could tell that we were somewhat on par when it came to it. The grunts and coughs of the Beastman echoed throughout the forest. I could feel it. The air slipped from his throat.

"Wh-What are you two doing?! Help Bernard! Seize that fiend!", Charleston barks in desperation.

The deer man pointed towards me in a frantic manner. His words caught me completely off guard. The two of them? My eyes shifted from left to right as I began searching for those men that he could have referred to. Considering that Bernard and I were battling mano y mano, I had simply assumed that the rest of them left to pursue Claire.

"I got him. Bastard! Let him go!"

The voice boomed from behind me. The crunch of dirt whipped up by the hastened steps of the individuals. Hesitation leaking from his every word. I wanted to take a look behind me, but I couldn't. If I let go of this bastard's neck then things will get even more difficult.

"No-No. Don't ya take another step!", Bernard growled.

Despite having the consciousness literally choked out of him, Bernard's laughter wheezed out. In a brazen display of defiance the right arm of the Beastman stuck out. It was clear what he was aiming for.

'The hell…My grip…it's slipping…'

Inch by inch my arm gave ground until suddenly I was pushed backward. Bernard shot up to his feat, and with a beastly snarl, he clawed towards me. The air whiffed as his fingernails shredded through the space between us, and he aimed to dig into my flesh.

"Beast -"

The earth crumpled around us as I redirected my strength into my legs and stomped the ground. This action brought Bernard's once lifeless eyes to a more widened and vivid outcome. After all, it was that which caused his slash attack to be thwarted. His feet stumbled onto the unstable surface and buried his claws into the fractured earth. His stance was reminiscent of an actual bear.

He huffed loudly before returning to his feet. I would take this opportunity to assess my surroundings better. Turning behind him, I would recognize two individuals. One was a demi-human, and the other was actually the man that threatened me earlier. He had a wooden club in his hand, and it was propping him up from the ground. Those two were efficiently lightweight from the looks of it. It was the fact that their boss was the one running point that made matters more difficult.

"Hey now, Charleston. I thought I mentioned that this was my dance. Don't write me off just because someone gives me a hug around my neck.", Bernard declares, his claws scratching his chin.

"My apologies… That attack just seemed…."

"Seemed pointless. I know.", Bernard retorts.

The Beastman flashed his cocky grin my way and once more approached. This time, there was notable hesitance in his stance. After being reprimanded for calling for assistance on Bernard's behalf, Charleston merely stood in the back. His eyes glossed over like a deer in headlights while the two men behind us stood aside. They would likely incur the wrath of their boss, so I could sense that they were not going to interfere for the moment.

That would be a leading theory, but… it proved to be incorrect almost instantly. As soon as I turned my back towards one of them, I heard the marching of footsteps in the dirt. Before I could address the charge of the man, Bernard moved to grab my agro. The large man lunged forward with both of his hands reaching out to grab me. The combined attack left me open for both of them. While the man from behind was slower than I was, Bernard proved to be quick when he wanted.

His hand reached out, and his fingers encased my forearm with their length. The power of the man ensured that his subordinate got the freest hit that he has likely ever gotten. My head reeled as the club shattered itself against the back of it. The sound was violent as if an ax slammed into mounted firewood.

Bernard's grip tightened as the Beastman attempted to prevent me from striking his subordinate in return. His large fist wound back and in seconds it reached out to establish contact. It did, but unlike the off guard attack, I managed to withstand the attack without flinching.

Learning more about how our abilities worked was entrusted to me. Since coming to this world and our first confrontation with the Lynx, there has been this lingering feeling burning through my limbs. No matter what I did, no matter where I allocated my strength. It was also present. Think…Think. There must be a link between those two phenomenons.

'According to Mark's theory, we appear to be in the same world as Infinity Unleashed, but at a different time period. What does that mean for our powers? Focus…'

Bernard's fist imprinted itself on myself and blow after blow chipped away at my defense. Eating heavy punches directly to the face was not ideal, but there was not much of an option. This man was incredibly powerful in his own right, and his subordinates made a one on one fight impossible now.

'What to do…C'mon focus…'